Jennifer Kuo Baxter, Former DreamWorks and Sony Pictures Executive, Dies at 62

Manori Ravindran International Editor BBC Film boss Eva Yates has set out her new editorial team, with the BFI’s Kristin Irving joining as a commissioning executive, and Anu Henriques boarding as a development executive. Meanwhile, Claudia Yusef has been named commissioning executive, expanding her responsibilities across development and production. Irving was a senior production and development executive at the BFI’s Film Fund. She formerly worked in a number of development roles including for production company Portobello Pictures on films such as Pawel Pawlikowski’s Oscar-winning “Ida.” She also worked across sales at sister company, Fandango Portobello. At the BFI she has exec produced films including “Rye Lane,” “A Gaza Weekend” and “The Origin.” She joins BBC Film in November.

EJ Panaligan editor Frederick Schneier, an entertainment industry veteran of more than 45 years, died on Sept. 15 in his Los Angeles home. He was 95. Schneier most prominently served as an executive at Viacom, where he helped to develop Showtime Networks in the 1980s and later became president and CEO of Viacom Pictures. Schneier was born on May 31, 1927 in Brooklyn, N.Y. He served in the U.S. Army and eventually attended New York University to study business with an emphasis on marketing. He met his wife of 67 years, Joyce, shortly after he graduated from NYU and the couple married in 1955.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) today announced the establishment of its first LED virtual production stage, located at Sony Innovation Studios in Culver City. With LED virtual production transforming the way film and television are made, the new stage is the world’s largest using Sony’s high brightness and wide color gamut Crystal LED display panels. The panels were created in collaboration with top engineers at SPE for use in virtual production. The establishment of this LED stage allows Sony Innovation Studios (SIS) to expand its virtual production workflow across various entertainment platforms and seamlessly merge the real and virtual worlds with its Atom View technology and proprietary stage-integration software.

Bolton comedy legend Peter Kay has been playing a string of "top secret" stand up comedy shows at a Salford theatre. It has fuelled speculation a major tour announcement may be on the cards from the Phoenix Nights superstar.

Naman Ramachandran Banijay‘s planned acquisition of Sony Productions Film und Fernseh Produktions GmbH Germany (Sony Pictures Television Germany) from Sony Pictures is now complete. Following customary closing conditions, Banijay Germany has secured 100% stake in the company. The label, founded in 1995, will now operate as Noisy Pictures GmbH, with Astrid Quentell and Mirek Nitsch remaining in leadership positions. Sony Pictures Television Germany’s successful shows include “Die Höhle der Löwen,” which has been on Vox since 2014; drama-comedy “Der Lehrer,” which has played nine seasons on RTL and won numerous awards; and ZDF crime series “Heldt.”

There’s a brand new Tarzan movie on its way!

EJ Panaligan editor Paramount Network shared the official trailer for the fifth season of “Yellowstone,” which returns on Sunday, November 13 with two episodes. The new trailer opens with Kevin Costner’s John Dutton being sworn in as Governor of Montana, and previews the chaos that immediately follows. “Yellowstone” comes from “Wind River” director Taylor Sheridan, and the show’s cast alongside Costner includes Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille, Brecken Merrill, Forrie Smith, Denim Richards, Ian Bohen, Finn Little, Ryan Bingham and Gil Birmingham. Mo Brings Plenty, Wendy Moniz, Jen Landon and Kathryn Kelly have been upped to series regulars. The upcoming season will also feature the return of Josh Lucas as young John Dutton alongside Jacki Weaver, Kylie Rogers and Kyle Red Silverstein with Kai Caster, Lainey Wilson, Lilli Kay and Dawn Olivieri joining the cast.

EXCLUSIVE: Jeff Frost, who recently left his post as President of Sony Pictures Television Studios, has set up a production company, Bristol Circle Entertainment, and has signed a first-look TV production deal with the indie studio. Under the pact, Frost is executive producing the high-profile new series from Breaking Bad creator and Better Call Saul co-creator Vince Gilligan, starring Rhea Seehorn, which just landed at Apple TV+ with a big, two-season straight-to-series order.

The 11th installment of FX’s American Horror Story franchise is set for a fall premiere. FX has slotted Wednesday, October 19 for the debut of AHS: NYC. The announcement also is a confirmation of the title and the season’s focus on the Big Apple. The first two episodes of the 10-episode season will drop at 10 PM ET/PT on FX and will stream the next day on Hulu. They will be followed by two episodes each Wednesday for four subsequent weeks. FX also released the key art below.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Sony Pictures Classicspresidents Michael Barker and Tom Bernard offered sound advice to U.S. theater chains, while explaining the reasons behind their continued success, during a discussion at the Zurich Film Festival on Saturday about their colorful and storied partnership that has spanned more than four decades. Zurich is honoring the duo for their services to film culture with its Game Changer Award on Sunday.   Speaking to Roeg Sutherland, co-CEO of CAA Media Finance, at the festival’s Zurich Summit industry event, Barker and Bernard took an engaging and humorous trip down memory lane, from first working together at United Artists Classics and then at Orion Classics, before establishing Sony Pictures Classics in 1992, to working with Akira Kurosawa, and managing to reacquire “Howards End” from Ismail Merchant, despite Harvey Weinstein’s efforts to significantly outbid them.

Tom “Tommy” McCarthy, executive vice president of post-production facilities, is retiring from his post at Sony Pictures Entertainment after more than three decades. Jon Hookstratten, EVP of Administration & Operations, confirmed the news in a memo adding that Kimberly Jimenez had been promoted to senior vice president of post-production services.

Tom McCarthy, Sony Pictures Entertainment’s executive vice president of postproduction services, is retiring from his role after a career spanning three decades with the studio. Kimberly Jimenez will now be promoted to fill his shoes in a new role as senior vice president of postproduction services at the studio. The news was shared in a note with staff on Thursday from Jon Hookstratten, EVP of Administration & Operations.

Jennifer Kuo Baxter, an entertainment attorney and executive who worked as SVP Business and Legal Affairs at Sony Pictures and in senior positions at DreamWorks Animation and other studios during her 30-year career, has died. She was 62.

Sony added three news movies to their 2023-2024 theatrical release sked while shifting some others due to the post-production jam which continues to plague a number of big pics. The good news is that nothing is moving out of 2022.

EJ Panaligan editor The Los Angeles LGBT Center has announced the hire of Phillip Picardi as the organization’s chief marketing and communications officer. “I am so excited to be joining The Los Angeles LGBT Center at this urgent moment in our community’s history,” Picardi said in a statement Thursday morning. “After working for over a decade in the media, I know how powerful storytelling can be as a cultural salve. I’m thrilled to take the Center’s marketing and communications initiatives to new heights.” Picardi joins as a member of the Center’s executive team, working alongside newly-appointed CEO Joe Hollendoner, chief impact officers Terra Russell-Slavin and Sharon Brown, chief financial officer Ricardo DeLeon, chief development officer Saurabh Bajaj and chief health officer Dr. Ward Carpenter.

David Harbour is set to star in Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions film adaptation of Gran Turismo. Neill Blomkamp is directing from a screenplay written by Jason Hall and Zach Baylan.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Sony Pictures Classics has landed worldwide rights to “It Ain’t Over,” a documentary about baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra. Sean Mullin directed the doc, which premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. The specialty studio has yet to detail any release plans for the movie. Described as “an intimate portrait of a misunderstood American icon, “It Ain’t Over” illustrates the life and career of Berra, a sports legend whose accomplishments on the baseball diamond were often overshadowed by his off-the-field persona. Berra, considered one of the best catchers in baseball history, won 10 World Series championships during his 19 seasons in Major League Baseball, 18 of which were with the New York Yankees. He also became known for Yogi-isms, like “It ain’t over ’til it’s over” and “It’s déjà vu all over again.”